Chapter 401: The Silent Battle
And just like that a few turns passed. Camilla placed another card down and Sacha stared at it. Then she looked at Camilla with a bit of surprise on her face, “Wait.”
Camilla looked up. “Yes?”
“You deliberately kept that card?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It was more useful than the others.”
Sacha frowned. That was the obvious answer. Yet somehow, hearing Camilla say it with such complete certainty made it more irritating.
The game continued.
Because Stan and Sacha had grown up with the game, small tells still passed between them. Brief glances, tiny shifts in posture, the half-second pause before a strong play.
They had been playing together for years. Sometimes they barely needed words. Camilla noticed every one of them.
At one point Sacha saw Stan prepare a disruptive move and assumed Camilla would miss the significance.
Stan placed his card down. “Draw Two.”
Camilla calmly answered with her own. “Draw Two.”
Stan’s eyebrows rose.
Sacha stared at the table. “What?”
Camilla calmly continued. Stan drew the required cards.
Sacha immediately looked toward Camilla.
“That was an interesting move”
Camilla’s gaze shifted briefly toward Stan. “He looked pleased before he played the card.”
Stan blinked. Sacha slowly turned toward him.
“You did look pleased.”
“I wasn’t aware I had a particular expression for that.”
“You absolutely do.”
Camilla nodded, supporting with an expressionless face, “You do.”
Stan looked at her. “You’re already analyzing my expressions?”
“Yes.”
Sacha groaned.
Camilla smiled a bit at their reaction and said without the slightest hint of embarrassment. “You two told me game was competitive.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to dissect us.”
“I am simply observing.”
Stan couldn’t help smiling. “She has a point.”
Sacha glared at him. “Don’t encourage her.”
“You have to admit her style is completely different from that of a newbie…”
The game continued. As the rounds progressed, Camilla’s rapid learning became impossible to ignore.
She tracked which cards had appeared, which colors had been forced, and which action cards remained unaccounted for. Predictions formed and adjusted with each new play.
Stan watched with quiet interest rather than frustration.
’She’s actually memorizing the game state.’
The sharp memory and analytical clarity impressed him. She wasn’t simply remembering cards. She was remembering sequences. She was connecting those sequences to the behavior of the players.
And whenever a prediction proved wrong, she adjusted.
She didn’t stubbornly cling to her previous assumption.
Sacha, however, looked increasingly strained. This woman learned Uno today. Why is she playing like she’s been doing this for years?
Sacha tried intimidation. “You know, being good at remembering things doesn’t mean you’re going to win.”
“I am aware,” Camilla answered calmly.
Sacha waited. A few turns later, Camilla executed another precise sequence.
Sacha scowled. “You’re really annoying.”
“You said that about Stan earlier.”
“And now I’m saying it about you.”
Stan laughed under his breath.
Camilla’s mouth curved in the faintest suggestion of a smile.
Sacha pointed at both of them. “Stop enjoying this.”
“I am enjoying it,” Stan admitted.
“I noticed.” Sacha retorted…
Camilla calmly placed another card. “That is understandable.”
Sacha stared at her. “Was that supposed to be a joke?”
“No.”
Stan burst out laughing. Sacha covered her face for a moment. “Why did I invite her into this game?”
“Because you thought you’d destroy her,” Stan replied.
“I was confident.”
“You still are.”
“I’m reconsidering, that was a mistake….”
Sacha was simply unlucky, not only was her set of card this time not giving her a chance, her opponents were also merciless as well..
Camilla placed another card. “That may be wise.”
Sacha slowly looked at her. “You really are enjoying this.”
Camilla’s faint smile remained. “Perhaps.”
The game continued. Eventually, Stan began to believe he had mapped Camilla’s patterns.
She tended to preserve certain cards. She favored particular color transitions.
She seemed reluctant to use certain action cards unless she could gain something significant from them.
Stan began constructing his plays around those observations.
He noticed that she appeared to be setting up a particular sequence.
So he made a move specifically designed to disrupt it. It worked.
Camilla was forced into the response he expected.
Stan smiled internally. ’I’ve got her.’
For several turns, his prediction remained correct. He began controlling the flow of the game again.
Sacha noticed. “Ah. There he is.”
Stan looked at her. “Who?”
“My annoying little brother.”
“You say that like you’re proud.”
“I am.”
Camilla remained silent. Her crimson eyes rested on Stan. She had noticed the change. He was becoming more confident. Not careless or reckless. Just slightly too certain that he had figured her out.
So she changed her pattern. Not dramatically, but just enough.
Instead of playing according to the behavior Stan had identified, she deliberately broke it.
Stan noticed the change. She changed her strategy.
’New age humans games are really interesting, it makes me more curious about what more they have.’ She smiled as she studied Stan, smiling when she noticed him adjusting to her change..
With that small smile, Camilla adjusted again, she can easily observe their cards with her spiritual sense, but she didn’t do it, after all, cheating in a minor game she can easily win by knowing the rules was an insult to her bloodline…
Stan himself, knew that Camilla can easily know their cards with her senses, but he knew how prideful she was, that she won’t try it…
The two of them locked eyes for about three seconds at that moment and began playing almost like a silent battle of prediction.
Sacha sat between them, increasingly confused. ’What am I even watching anymore?’
Then Camilla made a mistake. She chose the wrong color and was forced to draw on the following turn.
Sacha’s eyes immediately brightened.
“Aha!”
Camilla looked at her. “Aha?”
“You made a mistake.”
“Yes.”
Sacha grinned triumphantly. “So you’re not invincible after all.”
“I never claimed to be.”
“Good.”
Sacha leaned back. “Because being good at remembering things doesn’t mean you’re going to win.”
“I am aware.” A few turns later, Camilla made another excellent move.
Sacha’s smile disappeared. “You’re really annoying.”
Camilla looked at her. “You said that already.”
Stan laughed. Sacha groaned.
“Fine. I hate playing against you two.”
“You played against Stan for years,” Camilla pointed out.
“Exactly, which makes his current style even more surprising since it’s completely different from his usual style….”
Stan raised an eyebrow.. Eventually, the three hands began shrinking. Sacha had three cards remaining. Stan had two and Camilla had two.